Blizzard Entertainment announced
today that the closed beta test for its highly anticipated real-time strategy
game, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, has begun. Thousands of gamers around the
world have started to receive invitations from the company to participate in the
first phase of the beta test. In addition to providing feedback on the
multiplayer balance of StarCraft II, testers are also getting a first look at
Blizzard Entertainment's revamped Battle.net service, which will be the online
platform for StarCraft II, World of Warcraft, and future Blizzard Entertainment
games.

"Gathering concentrated feedback
from our players is an important step for us as we head into the final stretch
of development for StarCraft II and the new Battle.net service," said Mike
Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We look forward to
having our players' help in polishing the overall experience and preparing for
launch."

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is
the sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s 1998 hit StarCraft, which has been hailed
by players and critics worldwide as one of the top real-time strategy games of
all time. Sporting a vibrant new 3D-graphics engine, StarCraft II will once
again center on the clash between the protoss, terrans, and zerg, with each side
deploying legions of veteran, upgraded, and brand-new unit types. StarCraft II:
Wings of Liberty is currently slated to ship in the first half of 2010.

In addition, Blizzard Entertainment
will again offer unparalleled online play through Battle.net, the company’s
world-renowned gaming service. A new version of Battle.net will be launched
alongside StarCraft II with several enhancements and new features to establish
it as the premier online gaming destination for Blizzard gamers.

For more information on StarCraft II
and the beta test, please visit the official StarCraft II website at
http://www.starcraft2.com. To set up a
Battle.net account and sign up for a chance to participate in the StarCraft II
beta test, please visit the official Battle.net website at
http://www.battle.net.